Split meter roller shaft

ABSTRACT

An agricultural metering system includes a driven shaft having a first engagement feature configured to selectively engage a second engagement feature of a drive shaft mounted within a meter box of the agricultural metering system to non-rotatably couple the driven shaft to the drive shaft. The agricultural metering system includes a meter roller non-rotatably coupled to the driven shaft. The meter roller is configured to be selectively disposed within the meter box, and the first engagement feature is configured to engage the second engagement feature while the meter roller is disposed within the meter box to facilitate rotation of the meter roller in response to rotation of the drive shaft.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from and the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/075,083, entitled “SPLIT METERROLLER SHAFT”, filed Nov. 4, 2014, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates generally to agricultural metering on air carts,and, more specifically, to a modular metering system for a meter box.

A range of agricultural implements have been developed and are presentlyin use for tilling, planting, harvesting, and so forth. Seeders, forexample, are commonly towed behind tractors and may cover wide swaths ofground which may be tilled or untilled. Such devices typically open thesoil, dispense seeds in the soil opening, and re-close the soil in asingle operation. In seeders, seeds are commonly dispensed from bulkseed tanks and distributed to row units by a distribution system. Incertain configurations, air carts are towed behind the seeders todeliver a desired flow of seeds to the row units.

Air carts generally include a seed storage tank, an air source (e.g., ablower) and a metering system. The seeds are typically gravity fed fromthe storage tank to the metering system that distributes a desiredvolume of seeds into an air flow generated by the air source. The airflow then carries the seeds to the row units via conduits extendingbetween the air cart and the seeder. The metering system typicallyincludes meter rollers or other metering devices that regulate the flowof seeds based on meter roller geometry and rotation rate. Typically,meter rollers employ a series of flutes and recesses to control the flowof seeds. For a variety of reasons, an operator may desire to removeand/or insert meter rollers in the metering system. For instance, anoperator may desire to install one meter roller with a first geometryfor one seed type, and install a different meter roller with a differentgeometry for a different seed type.

However, meter rollers are frequently difficult to remove, insert, orreplace. Moreover, a drive system may be coupled to the meter rollermaking it more difficult to remove and reinstall a meter roller. Thedifficulty removing, inserting, and/or replacing meter rollers canincrease the duration of plating operations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is set forth below. Itshould be understood that these aspects are presented merely to providethe reader with a brief summary of these certain embodiments and thatthese aspects are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.Indeed, this disclosure may encompass a variety of aspects that may notbe set forth below.

In a first embodiment, an agricultural metering system includes a driveshaft configured to couple to a drive unit and to mount within a meterbox of the agricultural metering system, a driven shaft configured tonon-rotatably couple to the drive shaft and to decouple from the driveshaft, and a meter roller non-rotatably coupled to the driven shaft,wherein the meter roller is configured to be selectively disposed withinthe meter box, and the driven shaft is configured to non-rotatablyengage the drive shaft while the meter roller is disposed within themeter box to facilitate rotation of the meter roller in response torotation of the drive shaft.

In a second embodiment, an agricultural metering system includes adriven shaft having a first engagement feature configured to selectivelyengage a second engagement feature of a drive shaft mounted within ameter box of the agricultural metering system to non-rotatably couplethe driven shaft to the drive shaft, and a meter roller non-rotatablycoupled to the driven shaft, wherein the meter roller is configured tobe selectively disposed within the meter box, and the first engagementfeature is configured to engage the second engagement feature while themeter roller is disposed within the meter box to facilitate rotation ofthe meter roller in response to rotation of the drive shaft.

In a third embodiment, an agricultural metering system includes a meterbox, a drive shaft mounted to the meter box and configured to couple toa drive unit, and a cartridge including a housing, a meter roller, and adriven shaft, wherein the housing is configured to rotatably support themeter roller, the housing is configured to selectively engage the meterbox and to support the meter roller within the meter box, the drivenshaft is configured to non-rotatably couple to the drive shaft, and themeter roller is non-rotatably coupled to the driven shaft.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood when the following detaileddescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichlike characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of an air cart, including ametering assembly configured to regulate a flow of particulate material;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the metering assembly, as shown in FIG. 1,including a meter roller;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of anagricultural metering system;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a meter box of the agricultural meteringsystem of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the agricultural metering system ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the meter box of FIG. 4, with a meterroller cartridge removed from a housing of the meter box;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the meter roller cartridge ofFIG. 6, including a meter roller and a releasable bearing coupler;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the meter roller of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view of a modular meter roller cartridge of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a releasable bearing coupler of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the meter roller ofFIG. 7; and

FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of ameter box.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a side view of an air cart 10that may be used in conjunction with a towable agricultural implement todeposit seeds into soil. For example, certain agricultural implementsinclude row units configured to open the soil, dispense seeds into thesoil opening, and re-close the soil. Such implements are generallycoupled to a tow vehicle, such as a tractor, and pulled through a field.In certain configurations, seeds are conveyed to the row units by theillustrated air cart 10, which is generally towed in sequence with theimplement (e.g., behind the implement or in front of the implement). Incertain configurations, the air cart 10 may be configured to providefertilizer to the row units, or a combination of seeds and fertilizer.

In the illustrated embodiment, the air cart 10 includes a storage tank12, a frame 14, wheels 16, a metering system 18, and an air source 20.In certain configurations, the storage tank 12 includes multiplecompartments for storing various flowable particulate materials. Forexample, one compartment may include seeds, such as canola or mustard,and another compartment may include a dry fertilizer. In suchconfigurations, the air cart 10 is configured to deliver both the seedsand fertilizer to the implement. The frame 14 includes a towing hitchconfigured to couple to the implement or tow vehicle. As discussed indetail below, seeds and/or fertilizer within the storage tank 12 aregravity fed into the metering assembly 18. The metering assembly 18includes meter rollers that regulate the flow of material from thestorage tank 12 into an air flow provided by the air source 20. The airflow then carries the material to the implement by pneumatic conduits.In this manner, the row units receive a supply of seeds and/orfertilizer for deposition within the soil.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the metering assembly 18, as shown inFIG. 1. As illustrated, the air source 20 is coupled to a conduit 22configured to flow air 24 past the metering system 18. The air source 20may be a pump or blower powered by an electric or hydraulic motor, forexample. Flowable particulate material 26 (e.g., seeds, fertilizer,etc.) within the storage tank 12 flows by gravity into the meteringsystem 18. The metering system 18 includes one or more meter rollers 28configured to regulate the flow of material 26 into the air flow 24.More particularly, the metering system 18 may include multiple meterrollers 28 (e.g., housed in individual meter boxes) disposed adjacent toone another along a longitudinal axis of the rollers 28. For example,certain metering assemblies 18 include nine meter rollers 28, eachhoused in an individual meter box and each configured to provide productto a respective conduit 22. In such a configuration, each conduit isconfigured to provide product to a respective row unit or group of rowunits on the implement. By independently adjusting rotation of eachmeter roller, product flow to different portions of the implement may beparticularly controlled. However, alternative embodiments may includemore or fewer meter rollers 28, e.g., 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or more. Furtherembodiments may include one continuous meter roller 28.

Each meter roller 28 includes an interior cavity 30 configured toreceive a shaft that drives the meter roller 28. In the presentembodiment, the cavity 30 has a hexagonal cross section. However,alternative embodiments may include various other cavity configurations(e.g., triangular, square, keyed, splined, etc.). The shaft is coupledto a drive system configured to rotate the meter rollers 28.Alternatively, the meter rollers 28 may be coupled to a wheel 16 by agear assembly such that rotation of the wheel 16 drives the meterrollers 28 to rotate. Such a configuration will automatically vary therotation rate of the meter rollers 28 based on the speed of the air cart10.

Each meter roller 28 also includes multiple flutes 32 and recesses 34.The number and geometry of the flutes 32 are particularly configured toaccommodate the material 26 being distributed. The illustratedembodiment includes six flutes 32 and a corresponding number of recesses34. Alternative embodiments may include more or fewer flutes 32 and/orrecesses 34. For example, the meter roller 28 may include 2, 4, 6, 8,10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, or more flutes 32 and/or recesses 34. Inaddition, the depth of the recesses 34 and/or the height of the flutes32 are configured to accommodate the material 26 within the storage tank12. For example, a meter roller 28 having deeper recesses 34 and fewerflutes 32 may be employed for larger seeds, while a meter roller 28having shallower recesses 34 and more flutes 32 may be employed forsmaller seeds.

For a particular meter roller configuration, the rotation rate of themeter roller 28 controls the flow of material 26 into the air stream 24.Specifically, as the meter roller 28 rotates, material is transferredthrough an opening 36 in the metering assembly 18 into the conduit 22.The material then mixes with air from the air source 20, thereby formingan air/material mixture 38. The mixture then flows to the row unit ofthe implement via pneumatic conduit, where the seeds and/or fertilizerare deposited within the soil.

As discussed above, it may be desirable to insert, remove, repair,and/or replace the meter roller 28 in the meter box 40 (e.g., change toa meter roller 28 with deeper recesses 34 and fewer flutes 32 for largerseeds). However, because the drive system may be fixed (e.g., withfasteners, molded into, etc.) to the metering system 18, it may bedesirable to remove and replace the meter roller 28 without removingportions of the drive unit.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of anagricultural metering system 18. The metering system 18 includes a meterbox 40 and a drive system 42. The meter box 40 includes a passage 43configured to provide product to a conduit 22 for transfer to a rowunit. As shown in FIG. 3, the meter box 40 includes a first side 41(e.g., drive side) for receiving the drive system 42. The drive system42 includes a drive shaft 44 and a drive unit 46. The drive unit 46 mayinclude an electric motor drives the drive shaft to rotate in aclockwise or counter-clockwise direction. The drive unit 46 and themeter box 40 include apertures 50 configured to receive fasteners (e.g.,bolts) 52 to secure the drive unit 46 to the meter box 40. The driveshaft 44 is inserted into an opening 54 in the meter box such that theshaft 44 engages the meter roller 28 within the meter box 40. The driveshaft 44 is configured to drive the meter roller 28 to rotate. A bearing(e.g., ball bearing) 56 facilitates rotation of the drive shaft 44, andhence meter roller 28, within the meter box 40. As the conduit 22transfers air under the passage 43, the drive unit 46 rotates the driveshaft 44 to rotate the meter roller 28. As the meter roller 28 rotates,the meter roller 28 dispenses material 26 to form the air/materialmixture 38 as the material enters the air stream. Further, air may comefrom the tank 26 and through passage 43 with the product/seeds comingfrom the meter roller. The drive shaft 44 includes a first engagementfeature 58, such as a protrusion, configured to non-rotatably couple thedrive shaft 44 to the meter roller 28. The protrusion may engage acorresponding recess of the meter roller 28 discussed below.

In an embodiment, the metering system 18 may use a modular meter rollercartridge to facilitate removal and installation of the meter roller 28.FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a second side 59 (e.g., bearing side) ofthe meter box 40 of the agricultural metering system 18. As illustrated,the meter box 40 houses a modular meter roller cartridge 60. While thecartridge 60 is housed within the meter box 40 of the metering system 18of the present embodiment, alternative embodiments of the meter box mayhouse a meter roller 28 without a cartridge or house multiple cartridges(e.g., 2-10). In the present embodiment, the metering system 18 isconfigured to enable the cartridge 60 to engage the meter box 40 via anopening in the meter box. This configuration facilitates operation ofthe meter roller 28 while the cartridge 60 is engaged. The cartridge 60has a cross-sectional shape that substantially corresponds to thecross-sectional shape of the opening of the meter box. In the presentembodiment, a cartridge locking tab 62 (e.g., latch) may block passageof the cartridge 60 out of the meter box 40, thereby retaining thecartridge 60 in the meter box 40. While the meter box 40 of the system18 includes a rotatable latch, the cartridge locking tab 62 may be aspring latch, bolt latch, or any suitable type of locking mechanismknown in the art. The cartridge locking tab 62 may include a recess thatengages a corresponding notch on the cartridge 60 to further secure thecartridge from disengaging from vibrations or hard movement. The meterbox 40 may include a gate 64 (e.g., lid) to further secure/remove thecartridge 60 and/or the meter roller 28. The cartridge 60 may be removedby rotating the latch in a first direction and extracting the cartridge60. Further, the cartridge 60 may be inserted by engaging the cartridgewith the meter box 40 and rotating the latch in a second direction,opposite the first direction. The cartridge 60 includes a releasablebearing coupler 68. As further described below, the releasable bearingcoupler 68 facilitates rotation of the meter roller 28 within thecartridge and facilitates removal of the meter roller from thecartridge.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the metering system 18, as shown inFIG. 4. As illustrated, the cartridge 60 is coupled to the meter box 40of the metering system 18. The cartridge 60 includes a housing 70configured to rotatably support the meter roller 28 within the meter box40 (e.g., the housing 70 is secured to the meter box while the meterroller 28 rotates). The housing 70 includes a first side 72 (e.g.,cartridge drive side) and a second side 74 (e.g., cartridge bearingside) which correspond to the first side 41 and second side 59 of themeter box 40.

The cartridge 60 includes a bearing opening 76 for receiving a bearing78, which engages the meter roller 28 with the releasable bearingcoupler 68. The meter roller 28 is non-rotatably coupled to (e.g.,integrally formed with) a driven shaft 80. In the illustratedembodiment, the driven shaft 80 includes a protrusion 82 that engages acorresponding recess of the meter roller 28. In certain embodiments, themeter roller 28 and the driven shaft 80 may be, for instance, formedfrom one piece of molded plastic.

The driven shaft 80 is configured to non-rotatably couple to the driveshaft 44. The driven shaft 80 includes a second engagement feature 84(e.g., a recess) for selectively engaging with the first engagementfeature 58 (e.g., protrusion) of the drive shaft 44. The secondengagement feature 84 may have a polygonal cavity to engage a matchingpolygonal shape of the first engagement feature 58. While the engagementfeature 84 shown in FIG. 4 reflects shape-based engagement, any varietyof suitable interlocking mechanisms may be used for rotating the drivenshaft 80 with the drive shaft 44 as the motor of the drive unit 46 isoperating. Furthermore, a drive bearing 86 is used to facilitaterotation of the drive shaft 44 within the meter box. As shown in FIGS. 3and 5, the drive bearing 86, the driven shaft 80, the drive shaft 44,and the bearing 78 associated with the releasable bearing coupler 68 arein longitudinal alignment, thereby facilitating rotation of the meterroller 28 in response to rotation of the drive shaft 44. The bearing 78may be coupled to the releasable bearing coupler 68, the driven shaft80, or it may be a separate individual piece. When the cartridge 60 iscoupled to the meter box 40, it rotatably supports the meter roller 28.Once an operator desires to change the meter roller 28, the operatorremoves the cartridge 60, thereby enabling another cartridge to beinserted.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the meter box 40 with the cartridge 60removed from the meter box 40 and the slide assembly omitted. Thepresent disclosure applies whether a meter box 40 includes a slideassembly, as in FIG. 3 or 4, or it does not include a slide assembly.For removal of the cartridge 60, the operator may unlock the cartridgelocking tab 62 (e.g., via rotation of the tab) and pull the cartridge 60out of the meter box 40. As shown in FIG. 6, the cross-sectional shapeof the cartridge 60 (e.g., the first side 72, the second side 74, and/orother portions of the cartridge) substantially correspond to the shapeof the meter box opening 88. The cartridge 60 includes the releasablebearing coupler 68 and the meter roller 28. In another embodiment, thebearing coupler 68 enters through a meter box bearing coupler opening tointerlock the cartridge 60, the releasable bearing coupler 68, and themeter box 40.

The meter roller 28 includes flutes 32 and recesses 34 which can be seenthrough a meter roller opening 90. The meter roller opening 90 of thecartridge 60 enables material 26 to flow from the storage tank 12 to themeter roller 28. The meter roller 28 is supported longitudinally onsecond side 74 of the meter roller cartridge 60 by the releasablebearing coupler. Once the cartridge 60 is removed, the releasablebearing coupler 68 may be disconnected and removed. This may enable anoperator remove the meter roller through the opening and to insert adifferent meter roller 28.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the meter roller cartridge 60.The housing 70 of the modular meter roller cartridge 60 includes a driveshaft opening 92 on the first side 72 of the housing 70, the bearingopening 76 on the second side 74 of the housing 70, the meter rolleropening 90, and seed openings 94 for receiving and/or dispensing seeds.The first side 72 and the second side 74 may be approximately parallelto facilitate alignment of the drive shaft 44 and releasable bearingcoupler 68.

In order to couple the meter roller 28 to the cartridge 60, the meterroller 28 may first be disposed in the housing 70 through the meterroller opening 90. When the meter roller 28 is inserted, the drive shaftopening 92 on the first side 72 of the housing 70 aligns with a driveshaft opening 98 (e.g., a recess or interior cavity) of the drivenshaft. Similarly, the bearing opening 76 on the second side 74 of thehousing aligns with a bearing opening 96 (e.g., a recess or interiorcavity) of the meter roller 28. The bearing opening 96 may receive thebearing 78 or the bearing may be fixedly mounted within the opening 96.The openings of the meter roller 28, the driven shaft, and cartridge 60may also longitudinally align with the driven shaft 80.

The meter roller cartridge 60 and/or the releasable bearing coupler 68may include gaskets 100. While two gaskets 100 are shown in FIG. 7, anysuitable number of gaskets may be used to seal adjacent parts.

Once the meter roller 28 is disposed in the housing 70, the bearingopening 96 may receive the bearing 78 and/or the releasable bearingcoupler 68 which may include the bearing in certain embodiments. Thebearing 78 may be fixedly coupled to the meter roller 28 or fixedlycoupled to the releasable bearing coupler 68 in certain embodiments. Infurther embodiments, the bearing 78 may be an independent piece.Similarly, the releasable bearing coupler 68 may include the bearing 78or simply be configured to engage the bearing 78 with a shaft of thecoupler. Accordingly, the bearing 78 may be configured to engage theopening 96 of the meter roller 28 to facilitate rotation relative to thehousing 70 (e.g., rotation about the shaft of the releasable bearingcoupler).

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the meter roller 28, as shownin FIG. 7. The meter roller 28 includes the driven shaft 80 and a flutedportion 102. The fluted portion 102 of the meter roller 28 includesflutes 32, recesses 34, and/or interlocking segments 104. The flutedportion 102 includes a cavity 106 for receiving and coupling to thedriven shaft 80. The fluted portion 102 may non-rotatably couple to thedriven shaft 80 via engagement of grooves 108 of the fluted portion 102with chamfers 110 of the driven shaft 80. As shown in FIG. 8, the drivenshaft 80 is separated by a ring 112. The ring may interlock with thering segment 104 to segment the meter roller. The roller segments 109may be used to selectively choose which roller segment 109 is metering.For instance, seeds may only be deposited in one, two, or all threeroller segments depending on where seeds are limited to enter. As such,there is segmentation of the roller so that the meter roller canaccommodate a wide range of products and application rates. While themeter roller 28 in FIG. 8 has one ring 112, the meter roller may includeno ring or multiple rings in alternative embodiments. The ring 112 anddriven shaft 80 may be formed from one piece of molded plastic. Thefluted portion 102 may be an overmold that is molded over the drivenshaft 80. The fluted portion 102 may be mechanically bonded and/orchemically bonded to the driven shaft 80. The grooves 108 and chamfers110 may non-rotatably couple the fluted portion 102 and the driven shaft80. In an alternate embodiment of the driven shaft 80, the rings, andends 113 may be separate parts that may be coupled to one another.Additionally, in an alternate embodiment of the fluted portion 102, theflutes, recesses, and/or ring segments may be separate parts. The drivenshaft 80 also includes the drive shaft opening 98 to interlock with thedrive shaft 44.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the cartridge housing 70. The second side 74(e.g., cartridge bearing side) of the housing 70 includes the bearingopening which is configured to interlock with the releasable bearingcoupler 68. As mentioned above, the shape of the first side 72 and/orthe second side 74 of the housing 70 may correspond to the shape of themeter box opening. The first side 72 and second side 74 havesubstantially similar shape and/or have substantially aligned openings.For instance, FIG. 9 shows the bearing opening 76 aligned with the driveshaft opening 92. The aligned openings facilitate insertion of shaftsinto opposite sides of the meter roller thereby enabling the meterroller to rotate. The second side 74 includes a locking feature 75configured to selectively interlock with a corresponding locking segmentof the releasable bearing coupler 68 to secure the releasable bearingcoupler 68 to the housing 70. The locking feature 75 includes lockingnotches 114 and locking recesses 116. While four locking notches 114 andlocking recesses 116 are shown, any suitable number of notches and/orrecesses may be used to engage the locking segment of the releasablebearing coupler 68. The notches 114 and recesses 116 have correspondingfeatures on the releasable bearing coupler 68.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the releasable bearing coupler 68configured to selectively couple the meter roller 28 to the housing 70of the meter roller cartridge 60. The releasable bearing coupler 68includes a locking segment 118 for selectively engaging a correspondinglocking feature 75 of the housing 70. The locking segment includesinterlocking notches 120 and interlocking recesses 122 for securing thereleasable bearing coupler 68 to the housing 70. For instance, anoperator may insert the interlocking notches 120 through the recesses116 of the housing 70. Then, the operator may rotate the releasablebearing coupler 68 to engage the locking notches 114 of the housing 70into the interlocking recesses 122 of the coupler 68. After an eight ofa turn, the interlocking notches rotate with respect to the interlockingrecesses and limiting notches 124 block further rotation of the coupler68.

The releasable bearing coupler 68 also includes a grip segment 126 and ashaft 128. The grip segment 126 has edges to help an operator rotate thereleasable bearing coupler 68. The grip segment 126 is configured toremain on an exterior of the housing 70 of the cartridge 60 when thelocking segment 118 of the releasable bearing coupler 68 engages thelocking feature 75 of the housing 70. The shaft 128 is configured to bedisposed through the cartridge opening 76 and/or the meter rolleropening 96 to engage the bearing 78. Thus, the grip segment 126 remainseasy for an operator to grip to disengage the coupler 68, and the shaft128 is secured inside the cartridge to engage the bearing 78.

FIG. 11 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the meter roller. Themeter roller 28 has the driven shaft opening 98. As shown in FIG. 11,the bearing 78 is disposed within the recess 99 of the meter roller. Theshaft 128 of the coupler 68 engages the bearing 78 within the meterroller 28. Additionally, the grooves 108 and chamfers 110 areinterlocked to mechanically lock the fluted portion 102 to the drivenshaft 80.

While the embodiments described above include a meter roller cartridge60, in some cases, it may be desirable to use a system 18 without ameter roller cartridge 60. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of anotherembodiment of the system 18 that does not include a meter rollercartridge 60. Similar to the embodiments disclosed above, the system 18includes a split shaft (e.g., the drive shaft 44 and the driven shaft80). The system 18 without the cartridge 60 may include one or tworeleasable bearing couplers. As shown in FIG. 12, a first releasablebearing coupler 130 may engage the drive shaft 44 and the driven shaft80 through an opening in the meter box 40. The first releasable bearingcoupler 130 and/or the second releasable bearing coupler 132 may includea locking segment 118, a grip segment 126, a bearing 78 and a shaft 128similar to the releasable bearing coupler described in FIG. 10. Thebearing 78 may contact the drive shaft 44, the driven shaft 80, and/orthe first releasable bearing coupler 130 or second releasable bearingcoupler 132 to facilitate rotation of the meter roller. As shown in FIG.12, for instance, the bearing 78 contacts the drive shaft 44 tofacilitate rotation with respect to the first releasable bearing coupler130. Further, the first releasable bearing coupler 130 may include anaperture for engaging the drive shaft 44 with the driven shaft 80. Themeter roller 28 may be enclosed in the gate 64 as shown on the meter box40 in FIG. 4. The gate 64 may secure the meter roller 28 in the meterbox 40. As shown in FIG. 12, the two releasable bearing couplers 130hold the driven shaft 80 within the meter box 40. To install the meterroller 28, the operator opens the gate 64 and inserts the meter roller28 into the meter box 40 and engages the first engagement feature 58with the second engagement feature 84. Then the operator secures the tworeleasable bearing couplers 68 to rotatably couple the driven shaft 80to the meter box 40. The operator may then close the gate 64.

The embodiments described above facilitate engagement and disengagementof the meter roller 28 from a metering system. By utilizing a splitshaft, an operator gains access to the meter roller 28 without removingdrive system 42. Additionally, having a modular meter roller cartridge60 provides support for the meter roller 28 and facilitates removal andinstallation of the desired components (e.g., meter roller 28, drivenshaft 80, releasable bearing coupler 68). With a releasable bearingcoupler 68, the meter roller 28 can be quickly coupled and decoupledfrom the cartridge 60.

While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed herein, many modifications and changes will occur to thoseskilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appendedclaims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fallwithin the true spirit of the invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An agricultural metering system,comprising: a drive shaft configured to couple to a drive unit and tomount within a meter box of the agricultural metering system; a drivenshaft configured to non-rotatably couple to the drive shaft and todecouple from the drive shaft; a meter roller non-rotatably coupled tothe driven shaft, wherein the meter roller is configured to beselectively disposed within the meter box, and the driven shaft isconfigured to non-rotatably engage the drive shaft while the meterroller is disposed within the meter box to facilitate rotation of themeter roller in response to rotation of the drive shaft; a meter rollercartridge, wherein the meter roller cartridge comprises a housingconfigured to rotatably support the meter roller and the driven shaft; areleasable bearing coupler, wherein the releasable bearing couplercouples to the driven shaft, wherein the releasable bearing coupler isconfigured to engage a recess of the meter roller to couple the meterroller to the housing of the meter roller cartridge and to facilitaterotation of the meter roller relative to the housing; and wherein abearing of the releasable bearing coupler contacts the meter roller tofacilitate rotation of the meter roller relative to the housing.
 2. Theagricultural metering system of claim 1, comprising a bearing disposedabout the drive shaft and configured to support the drive shaft withinthe meter box.
 3. The agricultural metering system of claim 1, whereinthe drive shaft comprises a first engagement feature and the drivenshaft comprises a second engagement feature, and the engagement featuresare configured to engage one another to non-rotatably couple the driveshaft to the driven shaft.
 4. The agricultural metering system of claim3, wherein the first engagement feature comprises at least oneprotrusion and the second engagement feature comprises at least onerecess, wherein the at least one protrusion is configured to engage theat least one recess to non-rotatably couple the drive shaft to thedriven shaft.
 5. The agricultural metering system of claim 1, whereinthe meter roller is removable from the meter box without decoupling thedrive shaft from the drive unit or the meter box.
 6. The agriculturalmetering system of claim 1, wherein the releaseable bearing couplercouples to the driven shaft on a longitudinal end of the driven shaft.7. An agricultural metering system, comprising: a meter box; a driveshaft mounted to the meter box and configured to couple to a drive unit;and a cartridge comprising a housing, a meter roller, and a drivenshaft, wherein the housing is configured to rotatably support the meterroller, the housing is configured to selectively engage the meter boxand to support the meter roller within the meter box, the driven shaftis configured to non-rotatably couple to the drive shaft, and the meterroller is non-rotatably coupled to the driven shaft; a releasablebearing coupler, wherein the releasable bearing coupler couples to thedriven shaft, and the releasable bearing coupler is configured to engagea recess of the meter roller to couple the meter roller to the housingof the cartridge and to facilitate rotation of the meter roller relativeto the housing, wherein a bearing of the releasable bearing couplercontacts the meter roller to facilitate rotation of the meter rollerrelative to the housing.
 8. The agricultural metering system of claim 7,wherein the driven shaft comprises a first engagement feature configuredto selectively engage a second engagement feature of the drive shaft tonon-rotatably couple the drive shaft to the driven shaft.
 9. Theagricultural metering system of claim 8, wherein the first engagementfeature comprises at least one protrusion and the second engagementfeature comprises at least one recess, wherein the at least oneprotrusion is configured to engage the at least one recess tonon-rotatably couple the drive shaft to the driven shaft.
 10. Theagricultural metering system of claim 7, wherein the meter roller isremovable from the meter box without decoupling the drive shaft from thedrive unit or the meter box.
 11. The agricultural metering system ofclaim 7, wherein the meter roller comprises flutes and recesses, and themeter roller rotates in response to rotation of the driven shaft. 12.The agricultural metering system of claim 7, wherein the drive shaftcouples to the drive unit on a first longitudinal end of the driveshaft, and the driven shaft is configured to couple to the drive shafton a second longitudinal end of the drive shaft, opposite the firstlongitudinal end.